First Kiss
by River9Noble
Summary: Stephanie Brown gave her baby up for adoption to keep it safe, but the heartbreak of that decision is getting harder and harder to cope with. It turns out the best one at comforting her is someone who knows what it's like to lose a child. What starts out as friendship turns to more - but not everyone in the BatFamily is ok with that. *Underage triggers* Stephanie Brown/Bruce Wayne
1. Chapter 1

_A/N So, this is about an underage relationship between teenager Stephanie Brown and adult Bruce Wayne. If you find that offensive or triggering, don't read it. This is a work of fiction and is in no way condoning this type of relationship in real life. In real life, even without sex, a romantic relationship between an underage teen and an adult is ALWAYS abusive because there is a power differential inherent to the relationship so consent cannot be given by the younger party. (Whereas two teens of equal or relatively equal age having sex can be consensual.)_

_This is just a fantasy. Because who doesn't love a protective Bruce. And maybe my past-teenaged abused self would have loved a Batman to come sweep her off her feet and rescue her. FANTASY, people._

_Also, there's no Damian in this universe._

* * *

It starts with a text message. Stephanie checks her phone like she always does after hanging up the BatGirl suit and changing back into civvies. Bruce is checking some scans on the BatComputer like he always does after patrol. Tim is off tonight, working in Bludhaven with Nightwing.

Stephanie reads the text. A sob chokes out of her throat. Bruce turns around.

"Stephanie?" he asks her uncertainly. Stephanie has a hand tightly clamped over her mouth as she tries not to cry but the tears are trailing down her cheeks, anyway.

"What happened?" Bruce asks her, seeing her phone in her hand. Wordlessly, Stephanie holds it out to him. He takes it and reads the text on the screen.

"Ellie said her first word today! Mama!"

Stephanie turns away from Bruce and starts to sob, but mostly silently. He swallows uncomfortably. Comfort is not his strong point. But this pain, he understands.

Bruce clasps her shoulder with his hand. "There's no worse pain than losing a child," he says gruffly.

Stephanie turns in surprise, her eyes meeting his. She sees the knowing echoes of grief in his compassionate look. She falls into his chest, wrapping her arms around him tight as she begins to wail. Bruce hugs her. For as long as she needs to cry.

When she finally quiets down, Bruce sighs. "You want to watch a movie?" he asks her, unwilling to let her go home so broken-hearted. Stephanie sniffs.

"Sure," she says.

Upstairs, on his super-big screen TV, Bruce puts on "Lethal Weapon." Stephanie's never seen it.

"It's a classic," Bruce tells her. It doesn't take a detective to figure out that it's also a movie about a grief-stricken hero rebuilding his life. Stephanie watches with her knees drawn up to her chest, a blanket covering them. Bruce is sitting on the end of the couch, a popcorn bowl between them.

It's really late when the movie ends. It was late when they ended patrolling, and now it's really late. "You can sleep in a guest room," Bruce tells Stephanie, seeing how sleepy she is. "Will your mom notice if you don't come home?" Stephanie snorts bitterly.

"She never notices me," she mutters. "Even when I'm there." She follows Bruce up the stairs and to an empty bedroom.

"Good night," Bruce tells her awkwardly. Comforting teenage girls is not his strength. But he understands the pain of losing a child.

"Thanks, B," Stephanie says softly, surprising him with another hug which he automatically returns. "Good night," she says as she pulls back a second later. Bruce nods and walks off to his room as Stephanie shuts the door.

* * *

The next night, after patrol, Tim is ready to take Stephanie home like he always does before sneaking back into his own house. Stephanie hesitates.

"Um, Tim, I thought I might just sleep here, tonight," she says. "If that's ok with Bruce." Bruce looks at her and raises an eyebrow.

"Sure," he says, going back to the BatComputer. Stephanie bites her lip at Tim's questioning look.

"My mom's dating a new guy," she mutters. "I don't feel comfortable sleeping at home right now."

"Oh!" Tim says, instantly worried and concerned. "Good, that's good you're going to stay here then. Your mom won't notice you don't come home?" he asks her.

"She never notices anything," Stephanie says.

"Ok," Tim answers. "Um, good night then, Steph," he says, giving her a hug before leaving. "Night, Bruce," he adds, without a hug. Bruce waves a hand at him from the BatComputer without turning around and Tim takes off.

Bruce turns to her when Tim's gone. "There's no boyfriend," he says as a statement of fact. Stephanie shrugs. Some tears form in her eyes when she talks, though.

"Tim, he wouldn't - he worries," she sighs. "About me. I don't want him to see me crying," she mutters. "And going home makes it worse," she adds, wiping her face. Bruce's eyes flash with pity.

"We could watch Lethal Weapon 2," he offers. Steph gives him a weak smile and nods.

She's barely awake by the time it ends and Bruce walks her up the stairs, a hand on her back to make sure she doesn't stumble.

"Good night," he says at her door.

"Good night," she replies, turning to hug him. He squeezes her a little tighter tonight. Bruce doesn't express things well, but he is worried about her. Stephanie's teary eyes haunt him as he walks to his room.

* * *

Stephanie quietly falls into a pattern with Bruce. They don't talk about it. They don't talk much at all. They just watch a movie together after patrols before going to bed. Stephanie always hugs him good-night and he always returns it.

* * *

It's during "Die Hard 2" that Stephanie falls asleep on the couch midway through. Bruce watches her sleep for a minute before clicking off the movie. He stands up and moves the empty popcorn bowl to the table before bending down to pick her up. She barely mumbles as he carries her upstairs to her room.

"Bruce?" she finally mutters when he's tucking her in.

"Go back to sleep," he tells her. She does. Bruce walks to his bedroom and goes to bed.

* * *

The next night, Bruce places a hand on her elbow before she can go into the movie room. "You want to watch tv upstairs instead?" he asks her. "You fell asleep last night halfway through." It's possibly the most words he's said to her at one time since she de facto moved in to Wayne Manor.

"Ok," Stephanie says. There's not a tv in the guest room so they go to Bruce's room. They both sit on top of his made bed, a good distance apart, propped up with pillows. Stephanie reaches forward to pull the neatly folded blanket up over her feet. Bruce puts on some comedy drivel.

They watch quietly at first. Eventually, Stephanie turns to him. "I thought I wanted an open adoption," she says to him. "But every update kills me, Bruce." She wipes more tears from her eyes. Bruce thinks that he can't remember the last day that he hasn't seen her cry at least once.

"Would you rather stop getting them?" he asks her. Stephanie shakes her head brokenly.

"I don't know," she whispers. Not knowing what else to say, Bruce reaches out a hand to her. She takes it gratefully and squeezes it. They go back to watching tv in silence. They keep holding hands.

When Stephanie's eyes start to close, Bruce tugs on her hand. "Bed," he tells her. She lets herself be pulled up and led to her bedroom. Bruce couldn't say which of them initiates the hug that night.

* * *

TV makes Stephanie feel more comfortable talking and even though Bruce never responds much, it helps her to tell him things. How hurt she was that her ex left her when she was pregnant. What a good friend Tim was to her. How she can't talk to him anymore because he'd worry too much. How sure she was that she didn't want an abortion but now she wonders if she'd hurt less if she'd had one.

Bruce usually only responds with affirmative grunts, but he's taken to holding her hand every night once she starts talking. One night Stephanie scootches closer to him. "I don't know what I would have done after having the baby if you hadn't started training me as Batgirl, Bruce," she says to him honestly. Her eyes tear up. Again. "I think you saved my life," she whispers.

Bruce squeezes her hand tighter and presses his shoulder into Stephanie's which is leaning against him. "Keeping busy as Batman was the only way I got through losing Jason," he admits to her in a ragged voice. That's all he says, but it's enough.

That night, Stephanie's head falls onto Bruce's shoulder when she falls asleep. Bruce gently gets up from the bed and lays her head on the pillow. He tucks her cover in tighter around her and turns the tv off. He goes to sleep in her room.

* * *

Stephanie automatically scoots close to him the next night when they get in bed to watch tv. Bruce pulls some of her cover onto his legs. He tucks her in with it when she falls asleep before going down to her room.

* * *

The next night, Bruce stops her before she gets into bed. "Just get under the covers," he tells her. "You'll be warmer when you fall asleep." Stephanie smiles at him and Bruce's eyes are tender when he smiles back. Once she's settled, Bruce sits on top of the blankets, but next to her. She leans her head against his shoulder and he takes her hand. "We're dating," Stephanie silently realizes and smiles up at him. Bruce smiles back. He still sleeps in her bedroom.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N __So, this is about an underage relationship between teenager Stephanie Brown and adult Bruce Wayne. If you find that offensive or triggering, don't read it. This is a work of fiction and is in no way condoning this type of relationship in real life. In real life, even without sex, a romantic relationship between an underage teen and an adult is ALWAYS abusive because there is a power differential inherent to the relationship so consent cannot be given by the younger party. (Whereas two teens of equal or relatively equal age having sex can be consensual.)_

_This is just a fantasy. Because who doesn't love a protective Bruce. And maybe my past-teenaged abused self would have loved a Batman to come sweep her off her feet and rescue her. FANTASY, people._

_Also, there's no Damian in this universe._

* * *

Bruce holds her the night she cries as they watch the video together of Ellie walking. He still sleeps in her room, though.

* * *

Bruce Wayne, billionaire, has been flying solo for months. Once in awhile Dick accompanies him to a Foundation event, but otherwise, he attends alone. The gossip papers don't know what to make of it. Alfred doesn't say anything, but he smiles to himself sometimes as he cleans the mansion.

* * *

The BatFamily, minus Jason, gathers around the dining table to celebrate Stephanie's seventeenth birthday. Alfred's gift is a Death Star waffle maker. Tim gets her a nerdy movie, Dick a purple grappling gun.

Bruce hands her a small package. Stephanie unwraps it and begins giggling. She holds up Halloween socks with bats all over them. "You can only wear those out of the house in October," Bruce says in his normal grumpy Bruce voice, but there's a little crinkle at the corner of his eyes that only Stephanie and Alfred see.

Later that night, when they're curled up in his bed watching tv, he hands her a smaller jewelry box. Stephanie opens it to find a heart pendant encrusted with alternating amethysts and sapphires.

"I wanted to get black diamonds instead of sapphires," Bruce says, taking the long chain from her to fasten it around her neck. "But that seemed a little too dangerous." Stephanie grins because of course Bruce is worried about their secret identities being compromised by her secret jewelry.

"I love it," she says to him, fingering the heart. "Your eyes are blue."

"I love you," says Bruce.

"I love you, too," says Stephanie, leaning in to kiss him for the first time, but Bruce draws back.

"You're still underage," he mutters in frustration. Stephanie groans.

"Are we really splitting hairs at this point?" she asks him. Bruce kisses the top of her head instead of her lips.

"Don't make this old man feel like anymore of a pervert than he already does," he says to her gently, putting his arm around her and snuggling her into his side.

"I've had a _baby_," Stephanie points out.

"I know," says Bruce. "We wouldn't be here if you weren't more mature than you ought to be," he adds as Stephanie sighs into his chest. "The year will go fast," he promises her. He still sleeps down the hall in her bedroom.

* * *

"I want you to spend the day with me tomorrow on a case," Bruce says to her the night before Ellie's first birthday.

"Ok," Stephanie responds, grateful that he understands without her explaining it. He squeezes her shoulders and holds her until she falls asleep, but she sleeps alone.

Tim is in the BatCave in the morning when they come down. "I thought you might want to hang out today," he tells her sympathetically.

"I'm going out on a case with Bruce," Stephanie says, but she gives Tim a grateful hug.

"That's good you're keeping busy today," Tim tells her, surprised that Bruce is sensitive enough to have thought of a distraction for her.

"We'll be back late," Bruce tells him. "Call Nightwing if you need backup on patrol tonight."

"Will do," Tim says as Bruce and Stephanie go to suit up. They fly out in the BatWing.

Bruce sets the BatWing down in a forest clearing below a mountain about an hour outside of Gotham.

"Get changed," he says to Stephanie when they get out, handing her a duffel bag of clothes. Surprised, she goes around the other side of the BatWing to change out of sight. She hesitates before coming back into view.

"Are you ready?" she calls to Bruce.

"Ready," he says and she comes back around to hand him her suit which he throws in the BatWing with his before locking the plane. He hands her a large bottle of water to strap over her jacket. Steph notices that he has one, too.

"What are we doing?" she asks him.

"Hiking," Bruce says, reaching for her hand. Stephanie smiles and takes it.

Bruce has chosen a fairly long climb and it takes them about three hours to get to the summit. Stephanie's breath catches in her throat when she sees a picnic cloth laid out, held down by a cooler and a waffle maker that Bruce has rigged to a portable power source.

"Bruce," she says raggedly, turning into his arms as he hugs her tight. He doesn't kiss her. But he makes her waffles from the batter he has prepped in the cooler and they eat them with whipped cream, leaning side by side against a rock.

It's almost dark when they get back to the BatWing. "Can we stay for awhile?" Stephanie asks Bruce. "You can't ever see the stars in Gotham."

"Of course we can stay," Bruce says to her. They find a comfortable spot on the grass to lay down and watch the sky turn black and the stars begin to twinkle. Stephanie is curled into Bruce's side with his arm around her and, despite the fact that a year ago today she birthed her baby and immediately gave her away to a safer life, Stephanie is smiling. Bruce notices.

* * *

"Jason died tomorrow," Bruce tells her one night.

"Oh, Bruce," Steph says, leaning in to hug him tighter. He blinks away tears.

"It never gets easier," he mutters to her. "Even though he's back, the actual day never gets any easier." Stephanie squeezes him tight. Bruce knows she understands.

"Do you want to sleep in here tonight?" Stephanie asks him softly. "I won't even cuddle you if don't want."

"I'd like that," Bruce says roughly. Stephanie wipes his tears away with her hand and he kisses it. When they sleep, Bruce maintains a respectable distance from her, but they fall asleep facing each other and holding hands.

They're alone in the BatCave the next night when unexpected footsteps surprise them. Bruce had assigned Tim to Bludhaven that night, needing his personal space on a day that he wouldn't admit to anyone except Stephanie was an emotional one for him.

They turn around, expecting to see Tim or possibly Dick, although neither has called in, and instead see Jason, his Red Hood cowl dangling from his hand.

"Jason," Bruce breathes out to him, starting to tear up.

"Pops," Jason says, glancing at Stephanie who he's only crossed paths with once or twice, owing to being on the outs with Bruce since coming back to life. "I thought you might feel like watching 'Die Hard,'" Jason mumbles, meeting Bruce's heartbroken gaze with equally troubled eyes.

Bruce blinks. "I'd love to," he says roughly, before stepping forward and pulling Jason into a tight hug. Which Jason actually returns. Bruce kisses his hair and ruffles it up a bit before releasing him.

"Do you know Stephanie?" Bruce asks him.

"Not really," Jason says. "As Batgirl, I guess. Hi," he adds.

"Hi," Steph replies.

"Come on," Bruce says to both of them, "I'll make the popcorn." Jason is faintly surprised when Stephanie follows them to the elevator and curls up on the couch in the movie room like she belongs there.

Bruce sits in the middle of the couch between them. "'Die Hard' was always Jason's favorite," he explains to Stephanie as they get started.

"I'm glad you came over," she says to Jason, who gives her a puzzled look in return, because Stephanie sounds like she knows too damn much.

Towards the end of the movie, Stephanie falls asleep and her head droops onto Bruce's shoulder. It's not her head on Bruce's shoulder that clues Jason in. It's the fact that Bruce doesn't even flinch. No, he's comfortable with it there, with his teenaged Batgirl sleeping on him. A smirk twitches on Jason's lips.

"I'm glad you came over, son," Bruce says thickly when the movie ends, and he means it.

"Me, too," Jason says to him, and he means it, too. "I… I love you, Pops," he adds with a little embarrassment. "Even though I don't always show it."

"I know," Bruce says to him honestly. "I love you, too. Even though we're never going to agree about some things," he sighs heavily.

"Well, some things we will…" Jason says slowly, his smirk growing. "I'm probably the only one who's not going to judge you for this," he says, glancing at Stephanie. Bruce groans softly so he doesn't wake Stephanie up.

"I'm not fucking her," he whispers. Jason starts to laugh but he catches himself and keeps it quiet.

"I didn't say you were, Pops," he chuckles back. "Hell, I figured you probably weren't, given your unrealistically high morals and all. I don't disapprove, but I'm shocked you managed to get over yourself enough to get here," he continues to laugh.

Bruce manages to give him the ghost of a self-deprecating smile. "It just happened," he mutters, but he's clearly not upset by that fact. "She had a kid, gave it up for adoption…" he trails off for a minute. "It was eating her up," he says quietly. "And I know something about losing a child." He meets Jason's eyes, which soften slightly.

"Don't be a stranger, son," Bruce says to him. It's the closest to an apology that Jason will ever get from him, but it's enough. Jason starts showing up for the weekly BatFamily dinners. He even pops over for a late night movie once in awhile with Bruce and Stephanie, despite the fact that Stephanie always falls asleep in the middle.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N __So, this is about an underage relationship between teenager Stephanie Brown and adult Bruce Wayne. If you find that offensive or triggering, don't read it. This is a work of fiction and is in no way condoning this type of relationship in real life. In real life, even without sex, a romantic relationship between an underage teen and an adult is ALWAYS abusive because there is a power differential inherent to the relationship so consent cannot be given by the younger party. (Whereas two teens of equal or relatively equal age having sex can be consensual.)_

_This is just a fantasy. Because who doesn't love a protective Bruce. And maybe my past-teenaged abused self would have loved a Batman to come sweep her off her feet and rescue her. FANTASY, people._

_Also, there's no Damian in this universe._

* * *

"Nightwing!" Stephanie calls frantically from the comm. "Joker's got Bats! Me and Robin are going after him as soon as we finish evacuating the train on the bombed tracks over Gotham Harbor. We need backup!"

"On my way!" Nightwing urgently responds, but Stephanie bites her lip. Bludhaven is a long ways from Gotham.

They had figured it was a trap, but what can you do when an entire train is about to plunge to the ground from the bridge? Robin and Batgirl had begun working as quickly as they could to evacuate the passengers while Batman had tried to stabilize the train, but his isolation had given Joker the opportunity to nab him.

Stephanie makes a decision. "Red Hood?" she calls on the comm. Jason had been willing to be looped back into the system once him and Bruce had sort of made up.

"Red Hood here, what's up Batgirl?" he answers her immediately. "Joker nabbed Bats from the train over Gotham Harbor. Me and Robin are still trying to evacuate the passengers and Nightwing's coming in from Bludhaven."

"I'm on it," Jason answers. "And Batgirl?" he adds.

"Yeah?" she says back to him, boosting another passenger up through the roof of the train.

"Go back to the BatCave and run con for us when you're done saving everybody," he says to her.

"What? Why?" she says, grabbing the next passenger and forcing them up through the roof. "We need to save him."

"Let me save him," Jason says firmly. "He'll be worried sick about you tangling with Joker and trust me, it will make saving him a hell of a lot more difficult. Especially if he's hurt. You copy?" he asks her sharply.

"Copy," she answers, nervousness gripping her stomach for Bruce's safety but willing to accept Jason's advice. If it would help Bruce, she thinks to herself, knowing full well how stubborn the man could be.

Stephanie and Tim can't save everyone before the train plunges to the water, even though they get out safely before it falls. Joker had been counting on them staying with the rescue as long as possible, knowing the BatFamily's ethics, which had given him plenty of time to get away with Batman, but he had failed to count on Red Hood, not realizing that he was part of the family, too, and Stephanie prays that Jason is hot on Joker's tail.

Gotham PD and the Coast Guard take over the search for survivors when the train hits the harbor, freeing Tim up to go after Bruce. "Save him," Stephanie tells him sharply. "Check in with Red Hood, he's already on it."

"You called him?" Tim asks her, but it's with some relief in his voice. He's shaken at the number of people who just fell to their deaths.

"Yeah," Stephanie says. "He wants me to go back to the BatCave and run con. Will you be ok on your own?"

"Yeah," Tim says. "I'll meet up with him and Nightwing should be here soon."

"Be careful," Stephanie says.

She calls Jason when she gets back to the BatCave. "I'm home," she tells him. "What's the news?"

"Stay posted," Red Hood tells her, and that's it. Stephanie has to wait. She calls upstairs to Alfred who comes down to wait with her, bringing a tray of tea and cookies like they're not both losing their minds with worry over Bruce.

Stephanie is well aware that she's not running con. She's being kept out of harm's way. But she's helping, she tells herself, if it brings Bruce home faster. And safer. And alive. Hours pass.

Finally, finally, the comm crackles to life. "We got him," Jason says to her. "He's ok." Stephanie sobs without turning the comm on, so only Alfred hears it. He pats her shoulder gently.

"Copy that," Stephanie finally says in a shaky voice.

"Batgirl?" comes Bruce's voice over the comm, sounding raspy and pained.

"Yes? Batman?" she asks him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You're safe?" he asks her.

"Yeah," she answers, taking the clean handkerchief that Alfred is thoughtfully pressing into her hand. "I'm here in the BatCave with Alfred," she adds, wiping her tears.

"Good," he grunts.

"You're hurt?" she asks him.

"Not bad," he says, not that Stephanie believes him, but she's so relieved that he's alive and coming home that she doesn't press for more details.

It seems to take forever before the weary team finally trudges into the BatCave, Red Hood and Nightwing holding Bats up under each arm with Robin following behind. Batman seems exhausted and in pain, but his armor looks intact. Stephanie lets out a strangled cry and runs towards him, throwing her arms around him when she reaches him and sobbing.

Bruce eases his arm off of Dick's shoulder and hugs her with it. "I'm ok," he says to her, gently taking his other arm off of Jason so he can hold her more tightly. "I'm ok," he murmurs into her hair, even though Jason switches his arm to Bruce's back to prop him up.

Dick's jaw has dropped and he is looking at Bruce most uncomfortably. Tim comes up beside him with the same nauseated look on his face. They look at each other. They look over at Jason who only gives them a hard stare back, challenging them to say anything.

"Let's get you patched up, Pops," Jason says to Bruce after a minute. Stephanie slides her arm around Bruce's waist to walk beside him, still crying a little bit, while Jason takes Bruce's other side. Tim tries to catch Stephanie's eye as she walks past him, but she's all wrapped up in Bruce.

He swallows as the trio walks off to the medbay, followed by Alfred. "I'm not… seeing things, am I?" he ask Dick uneasily, hanging behind to talk to him.

"Not unless it's a shared delusion," Dick mutters, looking disgusted, angry, and disappointed all at once. "She's _seventeen!_" he adds to himself in disbelief. "How long has this been going on?" he asks Tim.

"I don't know," Tim whispers back. "This is the first time I've seen anything. But - well - _shit,_" he mumbles. "She's been living here," he says, not sure if Dick knows that.

"Fuck my life," Dick groans. Tim has to agree.

* * *

Batman has been tortured but not permanently damaged. The Joker likes to play games and tonight, it saved his life. Jason doesn't bother to mention that after he and Dick and Tim had stormed the warehouse with gas cylinders and batarangs to save Bruce, there was a reason why he sent them out ahead of him to safety with Bruce while he covered the rear.

The reason is a bullet that he left lodged between the Joker's now sightless eyes. Jason knows Bruce hates killing, but sometimes a resurrected Robin's got to do what a resurrected Robin's got to do.

Bruce is trying to comfort Stephanie in the medbay even though he's been through the wringer and feels like hell. Stephanie is trying to take care of Bruce and check him over and get him to take his painkillers and get to bed. She's still a little teary-eyed, but it's with relief. Alfred and Jason see how Bruce's eyes light up when he looks at her despite how terrible he feels and they smile quietly at each other.

Dick and Tim come into the medbay hesitantly. "Nothing broken," Jason tells them. "No stitches. Pops got the shit - ah, I mean - he got tortured and he's in pain but it'll pass." Dick and Tim exchange unhappy glances at Jason's obvious attempt to censor his report on Bruce's actual experience in order to protect Stephanie's feelings.

"So," Dick says, even though Bruce is hurt and this really isn't a good time - but when is a good time going to be, he thinks to himself. There's never going to be a good time to address this. "You and Stephanie are a couple now?" he asks sharply.

Bruce and Stephanie swivel their heads to look at him. It's pretty obvious they're a couple; Bruce has got his hands around Stephanie's waist as she stands next to him while he sits on the med table and her hands are running all over his bare chest and shoulders to reassure herself that he's back in one piece.

"I've had a _baby_," Stephanie says in annoyance. "You don't need to be so judgmental."

"We're not having sex," Bruce offers helpfully. "Until she turns eighteen."

Tim looks green. "That doesn't really make it better," Dick says tightly. Bruce sighs.

"I'm sorry you disapprove," he says to Dick. And to Tim, noticing that Tim is equally repulsed. Jason rolls his eyes.

"It's not that big a deal," he says. "Steph's been through a hell of a lot more than most seventeen year olds _and_ she's Batgirl. And she and Pops are basically perfect for each other. Don't you see how happy they both look?" Alfred smiles at them fondly.

"Master Bruce has never looked so well," he says. "And he has brought the smile back to Miss Stephanie's face." She smiles over at him for that.

"You don't have to stay on as Robin if it bothers you," Bruce says to Tim. "You can go work for Dick in Bludhaven." Tim glances at Dick who nods sharply.

"I will," Tim says, his voice and eyes conveying his utter hurt and disappointment in both Stephanie and Bruce. He clears his throat like he has something else to say but it takes him a minute to get it out. "How could you take advantage of her like that?" he says to Bruce finally, and it's laced with more pain than anger.

"He didn't take advantage of me, Tim," Stephanie protests. "We became friends and it just grew."

"You and me used to be friends," Tim says to her, meeting her eyes. "I delivered Ellie with you, Steph! And then you stopped hanging out with me. Because of him?"

"No, Tim!" Stephanie says in frustration. "I stopped hanging out with you because giving Ellie up was killing me!" she yells at him. "I was crying every day and I didn't tell you because you would have worried and there was nothing you could do. She was gone and I couldn't get her back and I was dying inside and you couldn't help me."

"And Bruce could?" Tim says in disbelief.

"Yes!" Stephanie yells. "He lost Jason. He understood." Tim bites his lip and looks at Jason, who is giving him a cold stare which, when Tim looks close enough, is laced with a dark knowledge of death that makes Tim shiver.

Bruce isn't looking at Tim and Dick at all but at Stephanie, concerned about how much Tim is upsetting her. Dick sees the tender way he looks at her and grinds his teeth. "I'm not ok with this," he says tightly. "Maybe if you stay together and get married -"

"We will," Bruce interrupts him and Stephanie nods. Dick sighs and curses under his breath.

"Maybe when Stephanie's _older_ and you're married I'll find a way to be ok with it," he says to Bruce. "But I am disappointed in you," he tells him, staring him dead in the eyes. "And Stephanie, I don't blame you at all. You're not the adult in this situation," he adds, looking to her. "If you ever want help getting out of it, you can always call me." Stephanie snorts.

"I can't be around either one of you right now," Tim mutters, wiping his face with his hand. "Can we go?" he asks Dick.

"Yeah," Dick says. The two of them turn and walk out of the BatCave.

"Well, that went to hell," Jason says cheerfully. "At least they rescued you first, eh, Pops?" he winks at him. Bruce sighs but there's a glimmer of a smile at the corner of his lips.

"Let's get you to bed, Master Bruce," Alfred steps in, moving forward to help Jason and Stephanie escort Bruce upstairs.

"Oh, Pops, by the way," Jason says as they walk to the elevator. "I killed the Joker."

"Bloody hell," Bruce mutters but that's all he says. Jason's grin practically lights up the BatCave.

"I'm gonna send Tim and Dickie a thank-you note for making that go over so well," he says with glee. Stephanie giggles. Bruce rolls his eyes a little bit but he doesn't scold Jason.

* * *

Stephanie insists on sleeping in Bruce's bed with him that night. He doesn't mind.

"I'm sorry you got put in the middle of all that," he tells her, meeting her eyes as she's curled up tight right next to him. Not under his arm, so he won't be in pain, but as close as she can be to reassure herself that he's there.

"It's not your fault," Stephanie tells him. "I'm not embarrassed about it, anyway. I'm sorry they're angry at you," she says in frustration. Bruce sighs.

"I know this isn't really right," he says to her and Stephanie scoffs.

"I don't care," she says. "I love you. And you can't tell me that dating a sixteen or seventeen year old was going to work for me after what I've been through with Ellie. You've been my only light since I gave her up. Plus, who else could either of us really end up with but another vigilante? Right?"

"I know," Bruce smiles at her. "I don't have any regrets about us but I get why they're upset. And you know I _am_ going to marry you, right?" he asks her, squeezing her fingertips with his.

"Of course I know that," Stephanie says to him, smiling up at him with love in her eyes. "I've always known that."

"Good," Bruce says, closing his eyes as the painkillers start to kick in.

* * *

Tim and Dick stop coming to Sunday dinners but Jason is at every one. Red Hood begins helping out on patrols from time to time and at least when he's working with the Bat-team, he doesn't kill anyone. He still comes over for movies.

* * *

"Do you want to have more kids?" Bruce asks her one night. Stephanie bites her lip as she looks at him.

"I don't know," she says in a conflicted voice. "I do, but… nothing's changed about who my father is. And how dangerous life could be for our kids. Ellie's parents don't even know my name so she'll be safe. I just… I don't know," she says sadly.

Bruce looks into her eyes so sweetly that Stephanie starts to tear up. "I would love to have babies with you," he tells her, laying a hand on her belly. "And we could always homeschool them, or hire tutors…" he says. "Bodyguards, extra security at their schools… we could figure it out," he promises her. "As long as you want them."

"I do," Stephanie whispers.

"Me, too," says Bruce. He kisses her fingers but that's all.

* * *

"I had an idea," Bruce says to Stephanie.

"What's that?" she asks him.

"Let's legally change your last name from Brown to Smith," he tells her.

"Why?" Stephanie asks him.

"Well," Bruce says to her, threading her fingers through his, "when we get engaged, all the criminals will see your name as Stephanie Smith instead of Brown. They might not associate you with your father. In fact," he says to her, "I want you to either dye your hair or start wearing a wig, too." Stephanie smiles at him.

"That's not a bad idea," she says to him.

"The name change will have to run in the paper for two weeks," Bruce says to her, "but it will be buried in the small print classifieds. If we're lucky, no one hating your father will see it. And even if they do, they might not connect it a year from now with the brunette Stephanie Smith who's marrying the stunningly handsome billionaire Bruce Wayne." She smiles at him.

"You _are _stunningly handsome," Stephanie agrees with him.

"I know," Bruce teases her.

"I think most people pass right over that, though, for the billionaire part," she says thoughtfully. Bruce laughs.

"Do you?" he asks her. She smiles at him.

"Nah, I go right for the Batman part," she grins.

* * *

"Are you on birth control?" Bruce ask Stephanie one night a few months before her birthday. She looks up at him, eyes twinkling in delight.

"Yup," she says. "IUD."

"Good," Bruce says gently, kissing her head. "Checked for STI's and HIV?"

"Yeah," Stephanie says to him. "All clean."

"Me, too," says Bruce. Stephanie's smile grows.

"Good," she says. "No condoms."

"Exactly," says Bruce. He still sleeps down the hall in her room, though, and he still hasn't kissed her.

* * *

Stephanie can hardly contain her excitement the day before she turns eighteen. She knows Bruce knows. Bruce knows she knows. They don't get back from patrol until the wee hours of the morning like usual. It's technically her birthday when they climb into bed together in Bruce's room.

Bruce surprises her by sliding her a stack of documents and a pen instead of a present. Or a kiss.

"What's all this?" she asks him, confused. Bruce grins at her.

"I'm hiring you as my personal assistant," he tells her. Stephanie giggles.

"Why?" she asks him as she begins signing the tax forms and paperwork.

"Well," Bruce says with a crafty grin on his face, "First, I'm going to start taking you around with me to meetings at Wayne Enterprises so people get used to you working for me. Then, in about seven or eight months, the big bad billionaire will fall in love with his secretary, as rich men do the world over, and we'll get engaged and married with a minimum of scandal."

Stephanie laughs. "You're very clever, Bruce," she tells him.

"I _am _Batman," he answers her with a self-satisfied smirk.

When she hands him all the signed paperwork, he hands her a tiny jewelry box. Stephanie's breath catches in her throat and her eyes start to tear up. She opens it and sees an engagement ring set with amethysts and sapphires, just like her pendant.

"I know you don't like blood diamonds," Bruce tells her and she nods, sniffing as she cries. "You'll have to wear it on your necklace for awhile," he says apologetically.

"I don't care," she sniffs. "It's perfect. I love you, Bruce," she says to him.

"I love you, too, Steph," he says to her, and finally, for the first time, he leans over and kisses her, holding her face gently with one of his hands. Stephanie's still crying but Bruce knows it's because she's happy.

"Can we have sex now?" Stephanie asks him and he laughs.

"If you're sure you're ready, baby," he tells her.

"I've _been_ ready," Stephanie points out and Bruce chuckles because he knows it's true. "I want to wear my ring on my finger, though, tonight," she tells him with a smile and Bruce slides it on, kissing her finger over it before starting to kiss her other places, too.

When Bruce makes love to her, he holds her like she's the most precious thing he's ever touched. He's never felt so amazed or humbled with a partner before. When he's inside of her, Stephanie feels like she's finally whole again. Looking into Bruce's warm eyes melting into hers, she pulls him down for a kiss.


End file.
